Monthly Archives: September 2020

In Memory of Anthony White & Kenny Ingram (September 29, 2020)

Underride Crash Map, , ,

Deputy Anthony White and Deputy Kenny Ingram were killed when state troopers said their county-issued vehicle struck a tractor-trailer that had stopped for traffic in the left eastbound lane near Exit 190 on Interstate 20 eastbound in Columbia County, the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office confirmed. The deputies were on their way to pick up an inmate to be transferred to the Fulton County jail.

Officials say the crash happened when a Fulton County Sheriff’s Office Dodge Charger hit the rear of a tractor-trailer that had stopped due to traffic in the left lane. Both deputies inside were killed in the crash. Identities of 2 Fulton County deputies killed in crash on I-20 released

Because the bottom of a truck is higher than the bumper of passenger vehicles, when there is a collision the smaller vehicle easily slides under the truck and the first point of impact is the windshield. Seatbelts, airbags, and car crumple zones do not function as intended in underride crashes — leaving passenger vehicle occupants vulnerable to life-threatening injuries.

Anthony White & Kenny Ingram, Precious Ones Gone Too Soon

See Underride Crash Memorials posted here and at #STOPunderrides Tweets. To add photos or more information on this story or to add other underride crashes to be remembered, send an email to underridemap@gmail.com. Please use this Interactive Underride Crash Map Crash Location Input Form to provide us with accurate information . (Note: the map is currently not online; but we would keep the information for future updating and to aid in underride advocacy efforts.)

Support improving Underride Protection on trailers: Contact your legislators with this User-Friendly TAKE ACTION online tool.

Please sign this petition: Congress, Act Now To End Deadly Truck Underrides

How You Can Help

Note: In order to raise awareness and preserve the memories of underride victims — precious ones gone too soon — I have been writing memorial posts on what appear to me to be underride crashes. I am not a crash reconstructionist, and I do not have all the facts on these crashes; but underride should be investigated as a potential factor in truck crash injuries and deaths.

Memorials of Underride Crash Victims

Safety Advocacy, Truck Safety, , , ,

Because the bottom of a truck is higher than the bumper of passenger vehicles, when there is a collision the smaller vehicle easily slides under the truck and the first point of impact is the windshield — resulting in underride and passenger compartment intrusion (PCI). Seatbelts, airbags, and car crumple zones do not function as intended in underride crashes — front, side, and rear — leaving passenger vehicle occupants vulnerable to life-threatening injuries.

This geometric mismatch has been misunderstood for decades. Reports on truck crashes generally focus on the cause of the crash and not what caused the deaths. So underride is undercounted. I know this from firsthand experience having been in a truck crash (but not in the part of the car which went under the truck) and lost two daughters because of underride (one of whom was not reported as such in DOT data).

In order to raise awareness and preserve the memories of underride victims — precious ones gone too soon — I have been writing memorial posts on what appear to me to be underride crashes. I am not a crash reconstructionist, and I do not have all the facts on these crashes; but underride should be investigated as a potential factor in truck crash injuries and deaths.

This is not an exhaustive list — merely the tip of the iceberg. But I hope that it serves to demonstrate the ongoing nature of a preventable public safety problem.

You can find these Underride Crash Memorial posts here.

Basic Underride Information

Certified Letters Alert 200 Carriers of Underride Dangers & Solutions

In Memory of Jessica, Anaiah, Jeffrey, Hank, & Mack Noel (September 25, 2020)

Underride Crash Map,

A Ford Expedition driven by Jessica Noel, 33, Viola, with her four children as passengers was southbound . . .

A semi trailer loaded with grain and driven by Andrew Specht ran a stop sign, according the sheriff’s department. Noel’s vehicle struck the trailer and it split in two pieces.

Noel, and her children Jeffrey Thompson III, 4,  Hank Thompson, 4-months, and Anaiah Brady, 10, were pronounced dead at the scene. . .

EMS transported a fourth passenger 1-year-old Mack Thompson to Wesley Medical Center in critical condition. . . He died at the hospital. Sheriff IDs Kan. mother, 4 children killed in collision

Because the bottom of a truck is higher than the bumper of passenger vehicles, when there is a collision the smaller vehicle easily slides under the truck and the first point of impact is the windshield. Seatbelts, airbags, and car crumple zones do not function as intended in underride crashes — leaving passenger vehicle occupants vulnerable to life-threatening injuries.

Jessica, Anaiah, Jeffrey, Hank, & Mack Noel, Precious Ones Gone Too Soon

See Underride Crash Memorials posted here and at #STOPunderrides Tweets. To add photos or more information on this story or to add other underride crashes to be remembered, send an email to underridemap@gmail.com. Please use this Interactive Underride Crash Map Crash Location Input Form to provide us with accurate information . (Note: the map is currently not online; but we would keep the information for future updating and to aid in underride advocacy efforts.)

Support improving Underride Protection on trailers: Contact your legislators with this  User-Friendly TAKE ACTION online tool.

Please sign this petition: Congress, Act Now To End Deadly Truck Underrides

How You Can Help

Note: In order to raise awareness and preserve the memories of underride victims — precious ones gone too soon — I have been writing memorial posts on what appear to me to be underride crashes. I am not a crash reconstructionist, and I do not have all the facts on these crashes; but underride should be investigated as a potential factor in truck crash injuries and deaths.

Underride Crash Memorials

Safety Advocacy, Truck Safety, , , ,

NOTE: The summer months involved a lot of traveling to help family and I was not able to continue reviewing truck crash notifications and writing underride memorial posts. As a result, you will observe an apparent cessation in these tragedies — not because they aren’t happening but only because I wasn’t monitoring and recording them. 10/1/24 mwk

Because the bottom of a truck is higher than the bumper of passenger vehicles, when there is a collision the smaller vehicle easily slides under the truck and the first point of impact is the windshield — resulting in underride and passenger compartment intrusion (PCI). Seatbelts, airbags, and car crumple zones do not function as intended in underride crashes — front, side, and rear — leaving passenger vehicle occupants vulnerable to life-threatening injuries.

This geometric mismatch has been misunderstood for decades. Reports on truck crashes generally focus on the cause of the crash and not what caused the deaths. So underride is undercounted. I know this from firsthand experience having been in a truck crash (but not in the part of the car which went under the truck) and lost two daughters because of underride (one of whom was not reported as such in DOT data).

In order to raise awareness and preserve the memories of underride victims — precious ones gone too soon — I have been writing memorial posts on what appear to me to be underride crashes. I am not a crash reconstructionist, and I do not have all the facts on these crashes; but underride should be investigated as a potential factor in truck crash injuries and deaths.

This is not an exhaustive list — merely the tip of the iceberg. But I hope that it serves to demonstrate the ongoing nature of a preventable public safety problem.

You can find these Underride Crash Memorial posts here.

Basic Underride Information

Certified Letters Alert 200 Carriers of Underride Dangers & Solutions

In Memory of Lisa Sharp (September 22, 2020)

Underride Crash Map, ,

Lisa Sharp, 51, of Neosho, Missouri, was driving a 2015 Ford Escape, and traveling west. Traveling east was a 2011 Freightliner tractor trailer, driven by Leonardo Vasallo, 65, of Dallas, Texas.

“Crash occurred as [Ford Escape] hydroplaned on wet pavement. [Ford Escape] crossed the centerline and struck [semi] head-on. Deceased pronounced at the scene by Newton County Coroner Dale Owen at 0818.”

Woman killed in crash with semi

Seatbelts, airbags, and car crumple zones do not function as intended in underride crashes — front, side, and rear — leaving passenger vehicle occupants vulnerable to life-threatening injuries.

Lisa Sharp, Precious One Gone Too Soon

See underride tragedies at Underride Crash Memorials and #STOPunderrides. To add photos or more information on this story or to add other underride crashes to be remembered, send an email to underridemap@gmail.com. Please use this Interactive Underride Crash Map Crash Location Input Form to provide us with accurate information . (Note: the map is currently not online; but we would keep the information for future updating and to aid in underride advocacy efforts.)

Support improving Underride Protection on trailers: Contact your legislators with this User-Friendly TAKE ACTION online tool.

Petition: Congress, Act Now To End Deadly Truck Underrides

How You Can Help

Note: In order to raise awareness and preserve the memories of underride victims — precious ones gone too soon — I have been writing memorial posts on what appear to me to be underride crashes. I am not a crash reconstructionist, and I do not have all the facts on these crashes; but underride should be investigated as a potential factor in truck crash injuries and deaths.

In Memory of Hannah Krajewski & Devaughn Gresham (September 8, 2020)

Underride Crash Map,

Hannah Krajewski, 21, and Devaughn Gresham, 23, were killed when a semi-truck slammed into them on I-95 near Lem Turner. It’s an area of the interstate that’s been under construction for months. . .

Krajewski and Gresham were heading into Jacksonville for a date night about 10 minutes north of downtown when the semi-truck rounded the curve at the Lem Turner exit, lost control, hit the center median and slammed into the Kia Optima, driving it across the highway and into the guardrail. Families file lawsuit after semi-truck crash kills young couple on I-95

Seatbelts, airbags, and car crumple zones do not function as intended in underride crashes — front, side, and rear — leaving passenger vehicle occupants vulnerable to life-threatening injuries.

Hannah Krajewski & Devaughn Gresham, Precious Ones Gone Too Soon

See underride tragedies at Underride Crash Memorials and #STOPunderrides. To add photos or more information on this story or to add other underride crashes to be remembered, send an email to underridemap@gmail.com. Please use this Interactive Underride Crash Map Crash Location Input Form to provide us with accurate information . (Note: the map is currently not online; but we would keep the information for future updating and to aid in underride advocacy efforts.)

Support improving Underride Protection on trailers: Contact your legislators with this User-Friendly TAKE ACTION online tool.

Petition: Congress, Act Now To End Deadly Truck Underrides

How You Can Help

Note: In order to raise awareness and preserve the memories of underride victims — precious ones gone too soon — I have been writing memorial posts on what appear to me to be underride crashes. I am not a crash reconstructionist, and I do not have all the facts on these crashes; but underride should be investigated as a potential factor in truck crash injuries and deaths.

In Memory of Laith Aboarob (September 22, 2020)

Underride Crash Map,

The crash happened just before 9:30 p.m. at the intersection of Route 32 and Interstate 70. Police said the driver of the tractor-trailer was turning left from northbound Route 32 onto I-70 when a 2012 Land Rover Range Rover Evoque heading south on Route 32 hit the truck and continued underneath it.

The driver of the SUV, Laith Basil Aboarob of Clarksville, died at the scene, police said.  17-Year-Old Laith Aboarob Killed In Crash With Tractor-Trailer In Howard County, Police Say

Because the bottom of a truck is higher than the bumper of passenger vehicles, when there is a collision the smaller vehicle easily slides under the truck and the first point of impact is the windshield. Seatbelts, airbags, and car crumple zones do not function as intended in underride crashes — leaving passenger vehicle occupants vulnerable to life-threatening injuries.

Laith Aboarob, Precious One Gone Too Soon

See underride tragedies at Underride Crash Memorials and #STOPunderrides. To add photos or more information on this story or to add other underride crashes to be remembered, send an email to underridemap@gmail.com. Please use this Interactive Underride Crash Map Crash Location Input Form to provide us with accurate information . (Note: the map is currently not online; but we would keep the information for future updating and to aid in underride advocacy efforts.)

Support improving Underride Protection on trailers: Contact your legislators with this User-Friendly TAKE ACTION online tool.

Please sign this petition: Congress, Act Now To End Deadly Truck Underrides

How You Can Help

Note: In order to raise awareness and preserve the memories of underride victims — precious ones gone too soon — I have been writing memorial posts on what appear to me to be underride crashes. I am not a crash reconstructionist, and I do not have all the facts on these crashes; but underride should be investigated as a potential factor in truck crash injuries and deaths.

Certified Letters Alert 200 Carriers of Underride Dangers & Existing Solutions

Safety Advocacy, Truck Safety, ,

The fact that truck and trailer designs can potentially allow underride when there are collisions with passenger vehicles has a long history of being misunderstood. That’s why we recently sent letters to two lists of “100 top carriers” in North America via Certified Mail.

Our goal was to make sure that their Boards and CEOs received information about the availability of engineering solutions which can modify those designs in order to prevent deadly underride and passenger compartment intrusion.

Here’s our mailing list of the 200 companies:

Mailing List for 2020 Top 200 Carriers

Here’s the Carrier Letter Template:

CARRIER LETTERS Please Stop Preventable Underride Injury and Death

200 Certified Letters Ready To Mail!

Note: This was not our first communication to the trucking industry. Starting in 2014, less than one year after our crash, Jerry Karth began sending letters to trailer manufacturers and trucking companies — informing them of the IIHS underride research — and asking them to voluntarily upgrade underride protection. It actually made a significant impact: A grieving dad got the attention of the trucking industry & made a difference.

Later, Great Dane announced its improved rear guard as a retrofit option. And, in 2017, Stoughton Trailers held a press conference at the ATA/TMC trucking conference in Nashville to announce their improved rear guard and asked me to speak at it. Here’s a quote from their press release:

Upon learning of Stoughton’s decision to make this improved protection available on all of their new trailers, Marianne said, “Stoughton’s cooperative efforts to improve the performance of its rear impact guard demonstrates a genuine commitment to safety. Stoughton is to be commended for taking a significant leadership role in design and safety. In my opinion, many lives will be saved as a result of Stoughton’s efforts.”

And, of course, we are grateful that nine trailer manufacturers now have improved rear guard designs available as an option or for some as Standard.

So, while we are working to make this life-saving technology mandatory, we continue to reach out to the trucking industry. Communication, cooperation, and collaboration are essential. Let’s keep at it and — together — get this job done!

Certified Letters Alert 200 Carriers of Underride Dangers & Existing Solutions

Safety Advocacy, Truck Safety, , , ,

The fact that truck and trailer designs can potentially allow underride when there are collisions with passenger vehicles has a long history of being misunderstood. With that in mind, we recently sent letters to two lists of “100 top carriers” in North America via Certified Mail.

We wanted to make sure that their Boards and CEOs received information about the availability of engineering solutions which can modify those designs in order to prevent deadly underride and passenger compartment intrusion.

Here’s our mailing list of the 200 companies:

Mailing List for 2020 Top 200 Carriers

Here’s the Carrier Letter Template:

CARRIER LETTERS Please Stop Preventable Underride Injury and Death

Letters to 200 Carriers — Ready to Mail!
USPS receipt for 200 Certified letters!
It’s past time to take care of the problem — don’t you think?!
Roya (1978-2004). AnnaLeah (1995-2013), Mary (1999-2013)

In Memory of Jason Sant (September 18, 2020)

Underride Crash Map

The crash on U.S. Highway 84 near Louisiana Highway 481 claimed the life of 42-year-old Jason Sant of Mansfield. . .

For reasons still under investigation, Sant crossed a double yellow line and traveled into the opposing lane of travel, which resulted in a collision with the tractor-trailer.

Sant, who was properly restrained, sustained fatal injuries in the crash and was pronounced dead. Mansfield man dies in DeSoto Parish crash

Seatbelts, airbags, and car crumple zones do not function as intended in underride crashes — leaving passenger vehicle occupants vulnerable to life-threatening injuries.

Jason Sant, Precious One Gone Too Soon

See underride tragedies at Underride Crash Memorials and #STOPunderrides. To add photos or more information on this story or to add other underride crashes to be remembered, send an email to underridemap@gmail.com. Please use this Interactive Underride Crash Map Crash Location Input Form to provide us with accurate information . (Note: the map is currently not online; but we would keep the information for future updating and to aid in underride advocacy efforts.)

Support improving Underride Protection on trailers: Contact your legislators with this User-Friendly TAKE ACTION online tool.

Petition: Congress, Act Now To End Deadly Truck Underrides

How You Can Help

Note: In order to raise awareness and preserve the memories of underride victims — precious ones gone too soon — I have been writing memorial posts on what appear to me to be underride crashes. I am not a crash reconstructionist, and I do not have all the facts on these crashes; but underride should be investigated as a potential factor in truck crash injuries and deaths.